Can a country’s geography give it an advantage in dealing with the effects of climate change? How has it become possible to grow apples—which require many hours of cold—in Africa, a predominantly hot continent? How can Greek growers protect themselves against climate change, the effects of which have been intensifying in recent years? Answers to these and other questions regarding the impact of climate change on fruit tree cultivation are provided in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) by Associate Professor Athanasios Molasiotis, director of the Arboriculture Laboratory at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Athanasios Molasiotis, in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
The first priority should be to formulate a national strategy for our country’s adaptation to climate change, Mr. Molasiotis emphasizes, and in this context, he highlights the importance of recording the accumulation of cold in various regions of Greece. After all, «it is not a costly process, as the necessary infrastructure already exists,» he notes, adding: «We need a denser network of weather stations in our country; once they are connected to one another, they will help us collect data on a regular basis. Essentially, an organizational framework is needed to enable the continuous recording of temperatures in various regions of Greece.».
Greece's Problems and Strengths
A major problem for Greek producers is that «we now have very warm winters, which negatively affect certain crops, such as deciduous fruit trees. But this is something we all talk about among ourselves, and it hasn’t been documented anywhere on a national scale,» notes the associate professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
He notes, however, that there are varieties with low cold requirements in winter and others with high ones, «and unfortunately, in many cases, we don’t have a clear picture of how they behave,» a fact that makes it difficult to make the right choice.
According to Mr. Molasiotis, there is no room for complacency. «Breeders working to create new varieties have, in recent years, placed great emphasis on traits that make them resilient to the effects of climate change,» he notes, recalling that years ago, the focus was on traits related to productivity and disease resistance.
Referring to Greece’s advantage, Mr. Molasotis says that this lies in the existence of many different microclimates, a result of the country’s geographical location, its mountainous terrain, and its topographical diversity. «The fact that the north and south are geographically far apart relative to the country’s total area results in a wide range of prevailing temperatures across our country,» he explains.
«If we look at a map of Greece based on elevation, we’ll notice that while our country is so heavily bordered by the sea and is coastal, its interior is essentially a mountainous massif,» notes the director of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki’s Arboriculture Laboratory, adding that «due to its great topographical and geographical heterogeneity, Greece can accommodate many scenarios in terms of adapting to climate change.» “As a country, we have flexibility in the varieties we can utilize, since the same variety can be cultivated in various regions of Greece,” he emphasizes.
In addition to genetic material and the systematic recording of chill hours, another important factor for adapting to climate change is, according to Mr. Molasiotis, the farming techniques used by growers. One of the most important, as he notes, is the application of formulations that can interrupt bud dormancy in deciduous fruit trees.
As he explains, «if a crop has received a sufficient amount of winter fertilizer, roughly 70% of what it needs, then chemically inducing dormancy can help cover the remaining 30% that the tree requires.» As an example, he notes that «in Africa, a warm country, by applying specific formulations, growers were able to produce apples, a crop that requires many hours of cold.» It is no coincidence, then, as he notes, that the majority of agribusinesses worldwide have devoted themselves to creating approved formulations to break bud dormancy.
Investment in the field for protection
Regarding investment in farmland—specifically, to protect it as much as possible from the effects of climate change—Mr. Molasiotis makes special mention of anti-hail nets. «How can anyone grow trees without investing?» he asks, adding that it is not out of the question that the way fruit trees are cultivated—as well as the cost of the investment required—may change in the coming years. ’For example, it is not out of the question that we may soon see certain fruit trees being grown in greenhouses so that the growing conditions can be controlled,« he points out.
As for the effects of climate change on the physiology of fruit trees, Mr. Molasotis emphasizes that growth, yield, and fruit quality are already changing, meaning that fruit growers now need to adopt specific management practices. «Good management practices for the sustainable intensification of fruit tree production in a constantly changing environment represent the greatest challenge and a bet that must be won,» concludes the associate professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Elena Alexiadou
